To be completely honest, I don’t really like reading shakespeare; it’s meant to be seen, not read. However, it seems like new(with well known casts) versions of Hamlet or Othello are all that have been released or planned lately, while many plays haven’t had movie version for decades. Which plays would you like to see as new movies? Any ideas who’d you like to see play what major parts? I can’t think of any now…
I’d like to see new versions of:
MacBeth
King Lear
Merchant Of Venice
actors or actresses, that is, not plays 
Wife has long wanted to film Macbeth with professional wrestlers acting. Roddy Piper (told you it’s been long) as Macbeth, Hulk Hogan as Macduff, some wrasslin’ bimbo as Lady Macbeth, and David Lander (Squiggy) as Banquo.
Ever since reading the play, I’ve been hoping for a movie version of Cymbeline, which I consider to be one of Bill’s more under-appreciated works.
I’d like to see Romeo & Juliet done in modern language as a musical, interspaced with re-written songs from West Side Story. It would be wonderful.
I’d like to see Hamlet played by Arnold Schwarzenegger, like the kid imagines during class in the Last Action Hero.
“Something’s rotten in Denmark… and Hamlet’s here to clean it up!”
I love the part where Arnold says “to be, or not to be”, lights a stogie, says “not to be”, and the castle explodes behind him as his lighter clicks off.
Oh Mick… I had forgotten that! I now have coffee on my keyboard, and once again the colleagues think I have lost my mind. 
I’d like to see a well done modern version of “The Winter’s Tale.” with Al Pacino as Leontes. Set in New York in 1922. The Sicilians could be from the city, and the Bohemians from up-state.
King Lear is currently my favorite play by Shakespeare. I love the 1984 made-for-British-TV version starring Olivier, Diana Rigg, etc., despite, perhaps because of, its stage/set-bound atmosphere. I even have a copy of a 1950s live-television production with Orson Welles playing Lear.
It would be great to see a fully-realized motion picture adaptation of it though, perhaps one starring a top actor, preferably British, as Lear. However as Olivier once qupped (to the effect): Once you’re old enough to understand Lear, you’re too bloody old and infirm to play Lear.
So, I’m sitting here racking my brain for a British actor, at least 75-85 years of age, capable of playing Lear.
Olivier, Geilgud, Richardson and Guinness are dead, and the only other living actor near that level, off the top of my head, Sir John Mills, is almost totally blind and at 93, not in the greatest of health, so who?
I’ll think of someone.
Sir Rhosis
The Tempest
Tim Roth, Director
Marlon Brando, Prospero
Johnny Depp, Caliban
Björk Guðmundsdóttir, Ariel
Penélope Cruz, Miranda
Antonio Banderas, Ferdinand
Billy Bob Thornton, Antonio
Comedy of Errors
George Clooney-Twin masters
Jim Carry- Twin slaves
Emma Thompson- Wife
Woman who plays Phoebe on “Friends” (I can never remember her name)- Wife’s sister.
Alan Alda- Father
Diana Rigg- Mother/mother superior
I was just thinking about an all black cast for “Taming of the Shrew”. I’m sure it’s been done, but with a big name cast?
Lets see:
Eddie Murphy as Petrucio (sp?) seems obvious.
Maybe Chris Roc as his young friend pursuing Bianca (that was her name wasn’t it?).
Richard Pryor as Kate and Bianca’s father would have been great. Maybe Cosby?
I can think of two or three young women who come to mind for the younger sister, but who could pull off Kate? Does anyone have any ideas?
TV
Can’t help you on the Lear question, Sir – or at least, I can’t think of anyone over 75 who’d be good for the role…but I do think that they need to get Kenneth Branagh for either Edgar or Edmund. Ian Holm could be Kent… (speaking of which, anyone seen his production of Lear?)
Oh, and I liked that BBC version with Olivier, too.
I’d also like to see a good film version of Macbeth – the only one I’ve seen that I like is Kurosawa’s Throne of Blood. I’d love to see a good one with Shakespeare’s actual text…
Let’s see, Measure for Measure would be a good play to film, but I can’t think of a good cast (though Helena Bonham Carter would make a great Isabella, I think). Same goes for Richard II…I’ll have to think about it. (I spent all of last year writing about that play, and can’t think of who I’d like to see in it… ;))
Actually, I just wish they’d film the recent RSC production of Henry VI/Richard III – that totally rocked.
TV time – for Kate, maybe Angela Bassett?
LEAR, an all-new production directed by Goboy, starring
Anthony Hopkins as King Lear
Kenneth Branagh as Kent
Kate Winslet as Cordelia
Helena Bonham-Carter as Regan
Kristin Scott-Thomas as Goneril
Ian Holm as Gloucester
Russell Crowe as Edmund
Angus McFadyen as Edgar
Alan Cumming as the Fool
Sir R.
My suggestion for your Lear would be something of a departure, certainly you could go with the excellent choices of Hopkins or Connery, but I would suggest O’Toole. It would be a less blustery Lear and more confused one. I have always wanted to see King Lear portrayed more that way at least as the play goes on. Although, if you remember Lion in Winter, O’Toole could muster the bluster.
Katisha:
Yes Bassett has fire but does she have enough fire to go head to head with Murphy (or as my wife suggested, Snipes-perhaps Snipes is a better choice - he is less verbal and more physical and I can see Bassett better opposite Snipes)?
TV
Shakespeare, Shmakespeare, I want a big budget version of Pirates of Penzance. More Gilbert & Sullivan, more I say!
It’s been done. I can’t get the IMDB link because an ad keeps inserting its goddamn URL, but there was a big screen version of Pirates of Penzance with Kevin Kline and Linda Ronstadt in 1983.
It was okay, but I want a bigger budget, more recent version. Darnit. Althought Kevin Kline and ANgela Lansbury were pretty cool in it.
slortar, I think I like you.
Although there’s no reason why we can’t have more Shakespeare AND more G&S. These are a few of my favorite things… (And between the two, they’ve done wonders for my vocabulary. ;))
Oh, and I want to see goboy’s movie. A lot.
Merchant of Venice
Antonio- Jason Behr
Bassanio- Ryan Reynolds
Portia- Rose McGowan
Nerissa- Kristen Dunst
Lorenzo- James Masden
Jessica- Katie Holmes
Shylock- Gabriel Byrne
Lancelot Gobbo-Stephen Lynch
I’d go to a movie with this cast in a heart-beat, Shakespeare or not
We really need a Nanki-Poo to keep Katisha company.